The rehearsal of the carriage procession went largely without a hitch, although some horses were seen veering out of line.

The world’s media, royal superfans and locals watched the military parade through the streets. About 250 members of the armed forces are expected to take part on Saturday.

At the scene: The party has come to town

By Hanna Yusuf, BBC News, in Windsor

As the sun came up, Windsor seemed deceptively quiet, with only police officers, their sniffer dogs and journalists on the streets.

By 08:00 BST, crowds in union jack hats started gathering beside barriers and waited along the Long Walk for the rehearsal to begin.

There was a huge police presence. Officers lined all the streets – with an officer every 10 metres.

On Saturday, there will be even more – one officer for every five metres.

Children, parents and pets were already in the party spirit, dressed in red, white and blue, and waving union jacks.

As the carriages drew close, the public pulled out their smartphones to capture it all on camera.

Afterwards, crowds headed to Windsor town centre, which was swarming with royal fans, tourists, reporters and a few royal impersonators.

One Prince Charles impersonator was giving out pizza, saying it was Prince Harry’s favourite, and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage was spotted having a pint in a pub.

The party, it seems, has come to town, and the world is invited.

Image copyrightEPA

Image copyrightGetty Images

Image copyrightGetty Images

Mr Markle, who lives in Mexico, used to worked as a lighting director on programmes including the 1980s TV show Married with Children and General Hospital, for which he and his team won two Emmy awards.

He and Doria Ragland divorced when Ms Markle was six years old.

Mr Markle, who has two children from his first marriage – Samantha and Thomas – filed for bankruptcy two years ago.

Ms Markle has previously said: “It’s safe to say I have always been a daddy’s girl – he taught me how to fish, to appreciate Busby Berkeley films, write thank you notes, and spend my weekends in Little Tokyo eating chicken teriyaki with vegetable tempura.”